Even with one of the deadliest starting lineups in all of the NBA, the Phoenix Suns are still being doubted when it comes to picking a winner for the 2023-24 NBA Finals. This franchise hasn’t returned to the Finals since they fell just two games short of winning it in 2020 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
And now, ESPN thinks they will this year, too.
But ESPN saying the Suns won’t return to the Finals has more to do with other teams than it does the Suns. The Suns have a few issues, but ESPN made it known they aren’t the best team.
ESPN has Nuggets over Suns in 2023-24 NBA Finals
It is a fair statement to have the Nuggets as the team to repeat to win it all, as they did dominantly last season. And that’s exactly who ESPN has returning.
Here is what they had to say:
“Despite a loaded Western Conference, our 2024 Summer Forecast panel predicts a repeat: The Denver Nuggets will win a second consecutive title. It hardly seems close that any team in the West will challenge them.”
This pick makes all the sense in the world because the Nuggets are that good and did win it all. However, saying that no other team comes close is a reach. The two teams went to six games in the Western Conference Semifinals without Bradley Beal’s addition.
Phoenix could give the Nuggets a run for their money, as they did then. They have the star pieces to do it, and the depth is better than some may think. Not to mention, they could still add to their roster.
But, for what it’s worth, ESPN did say that the Suns are the second-best team in the Western Conference. They finished with the first-place votes besides the Nuggets, as the ESPN beat writers voted.
The Suns tallied 60 first-place votes, while the Nuggets 106. It can be done, though. The Nuggets are not invincible.